Railbird 25: A good time in spite of it all

The very first  railbird was my very first ever music festival experience . Since then I’m probably closer to 100 festivals but I can still remember the energy buzzing through Lexington that weekend. How proud it made me to see Kentucky music , bourbon,  artist, chefs and businesses I care about deeply finally getting the spotlight on the big stage.

Since that weekend I have been one of Railbirds biggest champions. Through every growing pain and storm , I’ve stood by it because of what it represents.

A celebration of Kentucky but most importantly the charming southern culture of Lexington and central Ky. A platform for our artists, and a driver of Kentucky culture, tourism and commerce.

But if I’m keeping it real, railbird 25 felt like a mass departure from years past. Maybe not a bad one in execution  , but one that tugged at the roots of what made it special in the first place and essentially removing most aspects of that charm and tradition.

Let’s start with some good things- this was 100% my least favorite lineup of railbird… but ironically, it made for one of the better experiences for someone who isn’t all in on roots music! The smaller crowds brought a lot of breathing room and made for a more laid back vibe that hadn’t been experienced at railbird in years past .  You could actually move around. Infact you could easily get a drink, food and use the bathroom in close to or under 30 mins which would have never been possible in years past unless in vip or higher accommodations. The perfect weather and room to move was a nice change of pace opposed to some of the random rains storms and blazes of heart in other years past. These things made for a solid experience!

But my concerns aren’t on the comfort. It’s about direction.

Railbird built its name and following on the strength of genre defying, roots, vibes or Kentucky heavy lineups. Think Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Billy Strings , Khruangbin, Hozier, Dave Matthews and My Morning Jacket. The only artist not on the burl stage that resembled that were Kingfish,  Red Clay Strays, Thee Sacred Souls, Wyatt Flores, Sierra Ferrell and Sierra Hull. It should have been clear to fans of railbird that a shift was coming when headliners like Zach Bryan and Noah Khan took the stage last year. This year leaned even further in that direction with the Yellowstone gang, gang , Riley Green and Jelly Roll.

Don’t get me wrong those artist have a clear space in music today. There’s a reason they sell out arenas and venues. But a festival that once prided itself on Kentucky and roots culture would assume we maintained some instrumental and roots tradition. It may sound snobby but it was jarring to see how many acts lead singer take stage without instruments for most or all the act. That’s not a knock on their talent but there’s a different energy when someone commands the stage with a string instrument or even keys! It’s a staple of roots and Americana.  Promoting music like this is counterproductive and subtle attack on the rich culture of roots, Americana and bluegrass. When it fades out what you’re left with feels more like a manufactured corporate playlist or Spotify top 40 playlist than a celebration of Kentucky heritage and culture.

What is sadly even more eye opening is to realize that Laurel Cove Music Festival in Pineville, KY a much smaller festival with cheaper tickets is currently producing similar caliber lineups but more enjoyable experiences for cheaper! That’s not a great look when considering the price tag and what railbird used to stand for in years past.

But I feel like I’ve been too critical of what’s not been uniquely Kentucky and I need to showcase what was. The burl stage was absolutely unreal. Every single act I watched felt intentional, exciting and dialed in. They were performing like it was their last show to play. The curation on that stage was better than all the other stages combined.

Owners of The Burl,  Will Harvey and Cannon Armstrong always bring the heat when curating talent from Kentucky and regionally on their home stage at The Burl so it was awesome to see the festival team for railbird continue curating a truly Burl inspired stage year after year with precision and folks that would grace the absolutely beautiful venue and compound at their home in the distillery district .  Massive love and respect to those guys and David Helmers. Aside from the musicians themselves, there may not be more important and barrier pushing folks than those just mentioned for culture and music in Lexington .  The sounds and energy from this stage are core and the last true heartbeat of the original railbird ethos. The burl stage was a clinic in Kentucky’s finest and beyond.

My personal highlights came from

* Bendigo Fletcher

* Jesse Welles

* Kingfish

* Mama Said String Band

* Mojo Thunder

* Red Clay strays

* Sierra Ferrell

* Sierra Hull

These were the sets I’ll remember and the ones that made ya go “ this is why I love music”  while the other acts seemed more polished it felt like this year was missing a spark and edge we’ve seen in years past.

Also, I mentioned festival creator David Helmers earlier. Lex 250 , The Bourbon Hideout, his team with Kentucky Proud and Visit Lex deserves tons of flowers. Hands down my favorite part of the entire experience from one of the folks that started it all in David Helmers. For GA, the bourbon hideout had the best curation of Kentucky businesses, culture, and what you can expect when visiting the state of Kentucky. Crank and Boom, Kentucky for Kentucky, Ale 8 and tons of amazing bourbons to choose from in collaboration w folks like Justin’s House of Bourbon. The special pours , the products featured and seating truly showcased Kentucky in a way the other concession and merch areas couldn’t capture. My only complaint was that it was easy to miss so I think lots of folks missed out on the experience! This space encapsulated the original soul of railbird more than any other vibe or area! There’s no experiences like this for GA at ANY other festival.

So here’s my truth:

Railbird was fun, the weather was kind and smaller crowds helped make it much easier to navigate in both GA and VIP. The local and regional acts especially on the burl stage, absolutely showed out! With all

Of this being said It’s hard to not ignore the signs of the festival slipping further into the grasp of corporate interests. It’s becoming harder to tell if its celebration of music and place or just another polished production selling the idea of a music festival while it cashes in on algorithms and maker research.

What once felt like a rootsy, charming, boots in the grass Kentucky celebration is starting to feel a little too sanitized. The acts Railbird likely spent the most money on this year in my opinion delivered the least memorable musical moments.

At the end of the day I’d like to continue to support railbird and showcase it! The festival is definitely not lost but I hope that railbird remembers what made us fall in love with it in the first place.

Because Kentucky and this region deserves more than just a playlist with port a potties and bad overpriced drinks. We deserve a festival that feels like home. One that’s uniquely Kentucky.

📸

SierraFerrellbyIsmaelQuintanillaIIIforRailbird2025

And s/o to our friends w vintage therapy for hooking me up w this sick legend’s jersey!